Panthers Prove Again They Won't Fade Away

DAVE JOSEPH

The name is on more clothing here than Ralph Lauren, more posters than Cindy Crawford. More people know who Eric Lindros is than they do their congressman.

This city has the Legion of Doom.

And the Panthers have. ...

Harkins?

The Panthers began what's considered the second half of this season here Monday evening playing what many consider to be one of the top four teams. Heck, no one doubts the Flyers will be in the playoffs; no one doubts they'll make a serious run at the Stanley Cup.

And then there's the Panthers.

Garpenlov? Svehla?

"Three years ago maybe we didn't have much confidence in ourselves," said three-year starter Mike Hough. "We were considered rejects from other teams. But now. ..."

Now they carry toy rats in their equipment bags. Now they're considered one of the league's toughest opponents.

Now they play the Flyers straight-up at the Spectrum.

No ordinary fairy tale

If there's been a game that showed what the Panthers were all about, maybe it was this one Monday when they skated to a 1-1 tie with the Flyers.

Going into the Spectrum, where the Flyers are 16-5-3, the Panthers could have been flat after not playing for five days. Instead, they survived a dull first period in which the Flyers outshot them 13-5 and nearly escaped into the night with two points. It took four outstanding second-period saves by goalie Ron Hextall to keep the Flyers in this game until they scored with 2:39 left.

This is how it's been all year. And 45 games in, it's evident that, despite what some predicted, the Panthers are not likely to crash and burn. They proved it in Dallas when they fought back from a 6-2 third-period deficit, and they proved it again against Lindros and the Flyers.

And that's probably what has people in this league, even general managers, scratching their heads. After all, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year; a learning experience for the rookies. Instead, it's been a fairy-tale season.

The shoe seems to fit.

No stars? Don't tell MacLean

The expansion teams that entered this league with the Panthers in the 1990s - Tampa, Ottawa, San Jose and Anaheim - entered Monday's games with a combined record of 53-110-17. The Panthers meet the Capitals tonight with a 28-12-5 mark.

"I don't understand when people say we have no stars," MacLean said. "Brian Skrudland is a star. There's not a team in this league that wouldn't want him."

Or all-stars John Vanbiesbrouck and Scott Mellanby. But names like Johan Garpenlov and Robert Svehla aren't exactly common-place. Yet they continue plugging away, surprising nearly everyone in this league.

"When a team has confidence, they can build on that," said left winger Dave Lowry. "And I don't think things are going to change. We have a lot of veterans on this team, a lot of leadership in this [locker) room."

And the future has never looked better on the ice for the Panthers. Unless they totally fall apart, they're in the playoffs. If they don't skate to another tie this season, they need only 11 more victories to have a .500 record. And that seems quite attainable when you consider the Panthers have lost only eight games since Nov. 1.

"Maybe we don't have a lot of individual stars on this team," Hough mused. "But this a team sport, right? I mean, people said that last year about the Devils."